Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Latest News

Venezuela arrests six over drone explosions during Maduro speech

Updated: 2018-08-06 03:55
Share
Share - WeChat

CARACAS - Venezuelan authorities said on Sunday they have detained six people over drone explosions the day before at a rally led by President Nicolas Maduro, as his critics warned the socialist leader would use the incident to crack down on adversaries.

The suspects launched two drones laden with explosives over an outdoor rally Maduro was holding in downtown Caracas to commemorate the National Guard, Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said. One was "diverted" by security forces while the second fell on its own and hit an apartment building, Reverol said.

The attack highlights Maduro's challenges in maintaining control over the OPEC nation, where widespread food and medicine shortages have fueled outrage and despair everywhere from hillside slums to military barracks.

"These terrorist acts represent a slap in the face to the expressed desire of the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro, for national reconciliation and dialogue," Reverol said in a statement read on state television.

State television footage of the rally showed Maduro startled by what appeared to be an explosion and footage later panned to soldiers lined up on a boulevard who chaotically broke ranks in what appeared to be a reaction to a second blast.

The president later described the attack, which injured seven soldiers, as an assassination attempt.

One of the suspects had an outstanding arrest warrant for involvement in a 2017 attack on a military base that killed two people, Reverol said, an incident that followed four months of anti-government protests.

A second suspect had been detained during a wave of anti-Maduro protests in 2014 but had been released through "procedural benefits," Reverol said, without offering details.

He did not name the suspects.

The arrests suggest the attack was less a military uprising than an assault led by groups linked to anti-Maduro street protesters, dubbed "The Resistance," who have led two waves of violent demonstrations that left hundreds dead.

That is consistent with the shadowy group that claimed responsibility for the attack, The National Movement of Soldiers in T-Shirts, whose website says it was created in 2014 to bring together different groups of protesters.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the involvement of the group, which did not respond to requests for comment on the arrest announcements, or identify any of its members.

'I SAW THE LITTLE PLANE'

Bolivar Avenue of downtown Caracas, where the incident took place, was calm on Sunday.

Joggers and cyclists were taking up two of the lanes that are traditionally used for weekend recreation. The stage where Maduro spoke had been removed.

Witnesses said they heard and felt an explosion in the late afternoon, then saw a drone fall out of the sky and hit a nearby building.

"I heard the first explosion, it was so strong that the buildings moved," said Mairum Gonzalez, 45, a pre-school teacher. "I went to the balcony and I saw the little plane ... it hit the building and smoke started to come out."

Two witnesses said they later saw security forces halt a black Chevrolet and arrest three men inside it.

The security forces later took apart the car and found what appeared to be remote controls, tablets and computers, said the two, who identified themselves as Andres and Karina, without giving their last names.

Opposition critics accuse Maduro of fabricating or exaggerating security incidents to distract from hyperinflation and Soviet-style product shortages.

Leopoldo Lopez, formerly mayor of Caracas' district of Chacao, for example, is under house arrest for his role in 2014 street protests that Maduro described as a coup attempt but his adversaries insisted were a form of free expression.

"We warn that the government is taking advantage of this incident ... to criminalize those who legitimately and democratically oppose it and deepen the repression and systematic human rights violations," wrote the Broad Front opposition coalition in a statement published on Twitter.

Maduro's allies counter that the opposition has a history of involvement in military conspiracies, most notably in the 2002 coup that briefly toppled socialist leader Hugo Chavez.

"I have no doubt that everything points to the right, the Venezuelan ultra-right," Maduro said on Saturday night. "Maximum punishment! And there will be no forgiveness."

Maduro, who blames the country's problems on an "economic war" led by adversaries, during the course of his five-year rule has often announced having foiled military plots against him that he says are backed by Washington.

U.S. national security adviser John Bolton told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that the United States was not involved in the blast.

Reuters

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: t66y最新地址一地址二地址三| 成人中文字幕一区二区三区 | 窈窕淑女韩国在线看| 狠狠色婷婷丁香综合久久韩国 | 熟妇人妻无码XXX视频| 欧美影院一区二区| 成人毛片免费观看视频大全| 国产精品成人久久久| 另类国产ts人妖合集| 亚洲国产情侣一区二区三区| 中文字幕在线视频第一页| 91区国产福利在线观看午夜| 色综合久久中文字幕无码| 欧美综合成人网| 日本xxxxx高清| 国产精品第2页| 北条麻妃大战黑人| 久久精品国产99国产精品澳门| CHINESE中国精品自拍| 色爱区综合激情五月综合激情| 狠狠色狠狠色综合日日不卡| 男生的肌肌插入女生的肌肌| 毛片大片免费看| 巨大黑人极品videos中国| 国产中年熟女高潮大集合| 五月婷婷丁香久久| 91精品国产91久久久久| 精品久久久久久国产91| 最近中文字幕国语免费完整| 国产麻豆成91| 免费又黄又爽1000禁片| 中文字幕丰满乱子伦无码专区 | 可以免费看污视频的网站| 久久综合九色综合欧洲| 337p日本欧洲亚洲大胆人人| 狠狠色噜噜狠狠狠狠色吗综合| 性色a∨精品高清在线观看| 国产偷自视频区视频| 五月婷婷开心综合| 亚洲武侠欧美自拍校园| 欧美综合国产精品日韩一|